A NEW ATTITUDE
Psalm 42:1-5 - Victory Fellowship
January 2, 2022 - Rev. Roderick Grabski - Epiphany
We’d like to begin 2022 saying, “This is the year that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!” But perhaps depression, one of the great afflictions of our age, is dulling our spirits. Or maybe we recall failed resolutions of the past. In Psalm 42 we see how one man exchanged depression for joy to begin a new emotional era in his life.
1. My Condition. Three key words describe this man’s condition. First, downcast.
The Hebrew word is hhv shaw-khakh'. Peterson’s The Message translates this: “Why are you down in the dumps?” Other translations say, “Why are you so sad?” or “Why are you discouraged?” “Why are you depressed?”
A second word is disquieted. The Hebrew term hmh haw-maw' conveys the idea of an unpleasant sound, a commotion or clamor. It refers to unpleasant music in the soul. Peterson translates: “Why are you singing the blues, O my soul?”
The third word is mourning (v. 9).
The Hebrew is rdq kaw-dar', meaning “to be ashen, dark and dingy.” The reference may be to one’s facial expression or to the garments of sackcloth worn by the grief-stricken. Can you identify?
2. My Circumstances. The writer was one of the sons of Korah, Israel’s renowned musicians and worship leaders. Yet he begins Psalm 42 telling us he feels separated from God. Evidently this man is exiled both spiritually and geographically. He has been taken from Jerusalem, away from his normal ministry in the temple courts (v. 4).
Where is he? Later in Verse 6 he offers a clue: “I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar. Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls.”
This man is in the far north, at the headwaters of the Jordan, in the foothills of Mount Hermon. The word Mizar means “little,” perhaps referring to a smaller hill in the Hermon range in the area known as Caesarea Philippi. Here the springs and creeks plunge from the mountains, crashing and roaring and forming the beginnings of the Jordan River.
Second Kings 14:14 tells of a time when King Jehoahaz invaded the nation of Judah. He swept into the temple, looted its treasures, and took some of the temple workers hostage to the north. We don’t know if this is the historical setting of Psalms 42, but it fits. Perhaps one of those hostages wrote this psalm. Have you ever felt downcast and disquieted? Exiled? Far from where you want to be in life?
3. My Cure. This man is determined not to give in to despondency or self-pity. He’s going to fight with three lifelines.
A. Talking to God. Psalm 42 begins as a prayer; and as he prays, this man’s confidence grows and his courage returns.
B. Talking to Others. In Psalm 42:2, he is no longer praying; he is talking to you and me, to his readers, to whoever will listen. There are six billion people in the world, yet we long for someone to talk to. That’s why support groups, chat rooms, Facebook, Twitter, and bars are so popular. But you don’t need a bar or social media. Find a Christian friend, open up, and share your heart. Ask others to pray with you. We’re never as strong as when kneeling side by side with a friend in need.
C. Talking to Myself. The psalmist also learned how to talk to himself. “Why are you cast down, O my soul? Why so disquieted within me? Hope in God . . . !”
He is addressing himself. We often listen to ourselves when we should talk to ourselves. We should have a new attitude. We have negative little voices inside us, playing discouraging digital clips in endless loops. We need to delete those files, take ourselves in hand, sit ourselves down, and give ourselves a talking to. We need to learn to preach to ourselves.
And not like the world preaches to us. You have heard,
New Year, New You? That’s the worldly message and it is egocentric. It won’t work. That logic is why most resolutions don’t work. They are self-centered.
Instead, have a new attitude. Tell yourself each day that, in Christ, I am a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Poster – If it is to be, it’s up to me. No! Instead,
I can do all things through (Christ) who strengthens me. (Phil 4:13)
Conclusion: If you’ve been singing the blues, talk to God about it; talk to a good friend; and talk to yourself. Those three lifelines will be like a triangle of triumph and will enable you to say: “Why are you cast down, O my soul? Why are you disquieted within me? This is the year that the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it.”
PRAYER
SONG: His Eye is on the Sparrow
Psalm 42.1-5 HCSB As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, “Where is your God?” 4 I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts. 5 Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.